Duplicate bridge-scoring device



Oct. 25, 1966 J c, BINSON, JR 3,280,788

DUPLICATE BRIDGE-SCORING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 27, 1965lNVE/\ TOR James C. Robinson, Jr.

a 6 49% ATTORNEY Oct. 25, 1966 J. c ROBINSON, JR 3,280,788

DUPLICATE BRIDGE-SCORING DEVICE Filed July 27, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 /1173 1; I 1 I Ll\ \Tl L(; l/ l I f IF" FIG. 6

I N VENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,280,788 DUPLICATE BRIDGE-SCORING DEVICEJames C. Robinson, Jr., 503 Virginia St.,

- Roanoke Rapids, N.C. Filed July 27, 1965, Ser. No. 475,118 1 Claim.(Cl. 11612tl) The present invention relates to a duplicate bridgescoring device and, more particularly, to a device for instantlydetermining the score of a completed hand of duplicate bridge whetherthe contract has been made or defeated.

For the beginner, the scoring of regular contract bridge is ascomplicated as playing the game itself; however, there are certain ruleswhich make the scoring of contract bridge relatively simple for itadvances substantially in an arithmetic progression. The scoring ofduplicate bridge may not be so easily determined because the arithmeticprogression continues only for bids less than game and for defeatedbids. Furthermore, the similarities between duplicate bridge and regularcontract bridge in the scoring thereof extend only to the defeats whichmay easily be calculated by arithmetic progression. The scoring ofduplicate bridge severely taxes the memory and some means for easilycalculating the same is a recognized need in the art.

Therefore, an object of this invention is to provide a duplicate bridgescoring device for computing the score of a hand of duplicate bridgewhether the same was made or set.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a duplicate bridgescoring device which is operable to show the score of any bid made orany bid set by the manipulation of a simple mechanical expedient.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a duplicatebridge scoring device with a plurality of concentrically arrangedcircular discs having the necessary scoring indicia and with each beingrotatable relative to the other.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide aduplicate bridge scoring device with a circular indicator disc whichencompasses only the scores which are obtainable by the making of apredetermined contract.

Further objects and a more complete understanding of the invention maybe obtained by referring to the following description and claims takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings which shown anillustrative embodiment of the construction forming the base of theinvention and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the exposed surface of the first indicatordisc;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of one side of the scoring plate;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the other side of the scoring plate;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the exposed surface of the second indicatingdisc;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the second indicating disc having beenmounted on the scoring plate and showing the possible scores for a threeno-trump bid with the contracting party making seven; and

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along lines 6-6 of FIGURE 5 showingthe radially extending slots.

Before describing in detail the structure of the device and therelationship of the indicia thereon, a general explanation of thepertinent factors and of the meaning of the terms used herein will begiven to facilitate an understanding of the invention.

The scoring of duplicate bridge is divided into two main categories andthey are the bids which have been made and the bids which have been setor defeated. The scoring of defeated bids is relatively simple and thescores may be arranged in tabular form. The number of tricks set or downis determined by subtracting the number of tricks taken by thecontracting party from the number of tricks bid plus book, book beingsix tricks. The score is the same for any selected suit but is increasedwhen the bid has been doubled, redoubled and/ or when the contractingparty is vulnerable. Since the variables in the scoring of defeated bidsare few, they may be easily arranged in tabular form. The arrangement ofthe scores in tabular form when the contract has been made would be muchmore difficult for there are eightyfour different combinations of bidsmade taken in conjunction with tricks contracted for. There are sixpossible scores under each combination of tricks contracted for andtricks taken in that the contract may have been not vulnerable andundoubled, not vulnerable and doubled, and not vulnerable and redoubled;also, it may have been vulnerable and undoubled, vulnerable and doubled,and vulnerable and redoubled. Therefore, when a bid has been mad thereare 504 possible scores. This is assuming that hearts and spades haveequivalent scores for the same bid as do clubs and diamonds. Thesescores are circumferentially and radially arranged about a center pointon both sides of a fiat scoring plate.

For the purpose of this description and to facilitate an understandingthereof, the following terms shall have the meanings stated. A trickconsists of four cards, one from each players hand having been taken bythe winner thereof; there are 13 possible tricks. The term made as usedin FIGURE 5 denotes the number of tricks made above six, six tricksbeing a book with the counting starting from that point. The term bid asshown in FIG- URE 2 denotes the number of tricks bid above six. The termdown is the number of tricks by which the bidding or contracting partyfailed to make his bid, this being calculated by adding the number oftricks bid to book and subtracting the number of tricks taken therefrom.Each bid made by a proponent initially is undoubled; however, this bidmay be doubled by the opponent and in turn may be redoubled by theproponent. All bids are made while the player is either vulnerable ornot vulnerable and in duplicate bridge, this is predetermined beforeeach hand for that hand.

A preferred embodiment of this invention includes a fiat scoring plate10 having indicia on each side thereof, a first circular indicator disc11 and a second circular disc 12, said indicator discs 11 and 12 beingaxially aligned and rotatably mounted on scoring plate 10 by means of apin 13. Scoring plate 10 includes indicia 20 which are radially alignedwith a center 21. Ind-icia 20 are circumferent-ially arranged intoconcentric groups 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 which correspondrespectively to the number of tricks made above book, the score forbeing not vulnerable and undoubled, the score for being not vulnerableand doubled, the score for being not vulnerable and redoubled, the scorefor being vulnerable and undoubled, the score for being vulnerable anddoubled, the score being vulnerable and redoubled, and the suit andnumber of tricks bid. Given a predetermined bid, indicia 20 in radialalignment indicate all possible scores obtainable by the making of acertain number of tricks above book. It is to be noted that the scoresoccupy both sides of the scoring plate 10; however, this inventionincludes the placement of all scoring indicia on one side of scoringplate 10.

First circular disc 11 and second circular disc 12 are each providedwith a radially extending slot 17 and 18, respectively. Slots 17 and 18are adapted to encompass the score and the number of tricks made abovebook for each radially aligned block of indicia. To facilitate theinstant sighting of the bid, indicating discs 11 and 12 extend radiallyonly up to but not including bid group 29.

It may easily be seen that the indicating discs may cover the bid group29. Indicating discs 11 and 12 are provided with indicia 30 and 31respectively, which are adjacent the slots so that each circumferentialgroup of numbers appearing on score plate is defined by the indicia onplates 11 and 12. Indicating disc 11 also includes on the surfacethereof indicia for determining the score of a set bid or a defeatedcontract. The score of the set bid is arranged in tabular form wherebythe score is determined by locating the number of tricks by which thebidding party went down which is the same as the number of tricks set,and reading laterally across and under the predetermined state of thecontract.

Problem: In duplicate bridge, find the score of a completed contract forthe following conditions: The contracting party bid four spades and madeseven spades, that is, took seven tricks after having made a book; thecontracting party was not vulnerable and the bid was redoubled.

Solution: First, the bid of four spades is located on side 15 of scoringplate 10. It is noted that hearts and spades are in the same radialblock for hearts and spades have the same value. Secondly, slot 18 ofdisc 12 is rotatably moved into a position whereby slot 18 substantiallyenve-lops a radially extending block of a bid of four spades. It isnoted that there are four such radially extending blocks; therefore, todetermine the proper one, slot 1 8 is moved to enclose the number sevenwithin that block which is read from the tricks made. Thirdly, afterhaving properly selected the radially extending block, the score is read"from the indicia denoting the proper state of the contract, which inthis case was not vulnerable and redoubled and the score thereof is1430. To determine the score of any completed and made contract, thissame procedure is repeated.

Where the contract has been set by the opponent, the score is determinedby looking at the tabular column under defeats, as outlined above.

While I have set forth my invention in considerable detail for purposesof illustrating one embodiment thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that many of these details may be variedwi'thoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

4 I claim: A duplicate bridge-scoring device comprising a flat circula-rscoring plate having a set of indicia on opposite sides thereof, eachsaid set of indicia being arranged in the form of radial rows made up ofcircularly aligned indicia blocks, within each radial row the radialinnermost of said indicia blocks having the number of possible tricksmade, the radially outermost of said indicia blocks having a possiblecorresponding bid and the intermediate blocks having all of the possiblescores for such combination of tricks made and bid; a pair of fiatcircular indicator discs mounted on opposite sides of said scoring plateand arranged for independent rotation about the axis thereof, thediameter of each said disc being less than the diameter of said plateand being arranged so that the outenrnost of said indicia blocks areconstantly exposed on both sides of said plate, each said d-isc having aradial slot adapted to envelop one of said radial rows and along oneedge of said slot a further set of indicia providing for the innermostblock of the row enveloped by said slot the legend made corresponding tothe number of tricks made, in successive radial sequence a further notvulnerable legend group including undou-bled, doubled and redoubled andin further successive radial sequence a legend vulnerable groupincluding the same legends as in the not vulnerable group, the locationof said not vulnerable and vulnerable legends and the location of saidpossible scores in said blocks being such that when the appropriate slotof the appropriate disc is aligned with the particular row having thedesire-d combination of the number of tricks made and bid, the scores insaid particular row are aligned with the corresponding one of said notvulnerable and vulnerable legends.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 623,587 4/1899Webber 235122 1,662,503 3/1928 Krieger -70 2,226,973 '12/ 1940 Grigsby358.2 2,650,763 9/ 1953 Mac tGinn-is 235-88 3,070,903 1/1963 Weed-fold35-8.2

LOUIS J. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner.

